The Onigiri and the Inu
by Nari of Mirkwood
Summary: What happens when a simple bud grows into a beautiful flower? I think our favorite inu will have to figure out the hard way. Gureru Chapter 4 is up!
1. Chapter 1 So Long, Nezumi

A/N Hey everybody, Nari's back! YAY!!! I'm so excited for my new story. I really think that I can actually go somewhere with it, finally! Anyway, this is a Shigure/Tohru fic but it's a couple years after the end of the series, six to be precise, so Tohru is twenty-three and Shigure is thirty-three. Just wanted to clear that up from the start. Well, let's get started shall we?

Oh, I almost forgot…(I hate doing this)

**Disclaimer:** No part of Fruits Basket, plots, characters, etc. belongs to me. That is and always will be Natsuki Takaya's honor.

**Dedication:** I've decided to dedicate this fic to my cousin Daniel, aka Emerald Guardian. Love ya Doola!!

The Onigiri and the Inu

Chapter 1- So Long, Nezumi

Hello, my name's Tohru Honda. Eight years ago in may, I lost my mom in a car accident. After she died, I began living in a tent so not as to be a burden on anyone. I was living there for a while until I was found by Yuki Sohma. He and his older cousin, Shigure, invited me to stay with them. So I took them up on their offer and became a member of their household.

_While I was living there, I met all of their other relatives and I discovered the Sohma family secret. Certain members of the family turn into the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac and the cat when they are hugged by a member of the opposite sex. Obviously they don't want anybody to know about it, so it's a secret I've kept for them ever since I found out._

_It's been seven years since I began living with the Sohmas and I've come to love each and every one of the zodiac members. They're family to me and I can't imagine my life without them. _

_Recently, Yuki, the rat, and I confessed our feelings to each other and now we are boyfriend and girlfriend. We even managed to break the Sohma curse! I'm so happy with Yuki and the Sohmas…everything is just perfect._

"I'm home!" Tohru called as she entered Shigure's house. All of the lights were off and a comfortable silence blanketed the house. "That's strange," she said to herself as she set the shopping bags down on the kitchen counter. "I thought Shigure would be home."

She walked over to the phone to check the messages and found a note attached to the receiver. It read…

_Tohru,_

_I've gone to the main house to check on the New Years preparations. Expect me home for dinner. Don't you and Yuki do anything inappropriate while I'm gone…I would hate to have my lovely flower be deflowered._

_Sincerely,_

_Shigure_

Tohru shook her head and blushed a little bit. _'Oh Shigure'_, she thought. She threw the note in the garbage and then walked back over to the counter. "Okay, now what to make for lunch." She was about to begin putting the groceries away when she heard a groan from upstairs. It was definitely Yuki's voice.

'_Yuki isn't supposed to be home yet,'_ Tohru thought. _'Could he be sick and he came home early? Oh no!'_ With that thought in mind, Tohru rushed upstairs. She heard another groan, which only made her run faster. She stopped in front of his door and then ripped it open. "Yuki!"

Then she stopped dead in her tracks and her eyes widened. There, on Yuki's bed, was Yuki and a woman, whom Tohru didn't know, having sex. "Y-Yuki?" Tohru's voice was weak and she felt her knees wobbling and tears coming to her eyes.

"Tohru…" Yuki breathed out. He obviously was not expecting her back so soon. "Th- this isn't what it looks like," he tried to explain quickly, pulling his boxer shorts and pants back on. The woman had now pulled the blanket up to cover herself.

"You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend Yuki," she said quietly, clearly mortified. Tohru's eyes widened even more. _'He's cheating on me and he didn't tell that woman that he has a girlfriend?!'_

"It's not true!!" she suddenly screamed and then she turned and ran.

"Wait Tohru, come back!" Yuki cried, running after her.

Tohru bolted down the stairs and out the door, almost running into Shigure who had just returned home. "Tohru what's wrong?!" he called to her. He was then nearly run over by a shirtless Yuki. "Yuki, what the hell is going on here?!" Receiving an answer from neither, he bolted after them.

Yuki continued to run after Tohru, who was surprisingly fast. "Tohru, wait please I can explain!" he cried.

"Explain what?!" she screamed through her tears, still running. "How you were having sex with another woman?!" The end of the forest came and Tohru shot across the road, not bothering to pay any attention to the oncoming traffic. She was nearly hit but got past just in time. She was about to continue running but she heard breaks being slammed on and then a woman scream.

She whirled around and saw Yuki lying face down on the pavement with blood pooling underneath him. Her tears started to come out even faster as she brought her hands to cover her mouth. People were running towards Yuki. One woman got on her cell-phone and dialed 911.

Shigure had now appeared out of the forest on the other side of the street. "Yuki!" He dashed over to Yuki and called out for Tohru.

She absentmindedly maneuvered through the crowd and dropped to her knees in front of Yuki. "Why?!" she screamed to the sky. Ambulances were heard in the distance and they arrived a few minutes later. A large crowd had assembled around Yuki, Tohru, and Shigure by the time they pulled up.

Tohru could hear everyone muttering something along the lines of "Oh my goodness, is he going to be all right?". She even heard a few women crying. But nothing was really registering in her brain. Her brain was going through a hurricane of thoughts and emotions. She was angry, hurt, scared, and confused all at the same time.

She was brought back to her senses, when she felt Shigure's hand on her shoulders and him getting her out of the way so the EMTs could get to Yuki. They put him on a stretcher and quickly loaded him into the ambulance. It drove away and Tohru said nothing.

Before she was conscious of everything again, she and Shigure were at the hospital along with the rest of the Sohmas, even Akito. Shigure had his arm around her and she was leaning on his chest, still crying.

A doctor came out a few minutes later and everyone tensed. "I'm sorry, we did everything we could." Tohru cried harder now, knowing what was coming. "But we lost him. Yuki Sohma is dead."

A/N Phew! Wow, sorry if that was rushed. My fingers were going like 90 miles an hour writing this. Well anyway, okay you can all yell at me for making Yuki OOC, I know he is and Tohru might be a little bit too. But just to warn you all now, Tohru will be a little OOC in this story. She's older than she was in the series so I want to make her seem older, more mature, and not stutterish (if that's even a word). But I'll still make her have her 'Tohru' moments.

Also, sorry to you Yuki fans out there but this was the first scenario that popped into my mind to allow Tohru to be with Shigure. And for those of you who are wondering, Kyo is married to Kagura and he lives back at the main house, you know now that the curse is broken. But Akito will always be Akito so he'll still be like he was in the series, for now at least.

All right then, well you know what to do. Until next time then! Ja ne!


	2. Chapter 2 Thank You, Neko

A/N Well, here we go! The second chapter of "The Onigiri and the Inu".

The Onigiri and the Inu

Chapter 2- Thank You, Neko

It was three days after the doctor had announced Yuki's death to the rest of the Sohmas and Tohru. Despite the fact that Yuki had cheated on Tohru mere minutes before he died, she still couldn't bring herself to hate him. The past three nights, she had cried herself to sleep. And she was sure there would be many nights just like the past few.

She was sleeping at the main house. Everyone thought it would be best for Tohru if she was away from Shigure's house for a little while. The burial was tomorrow morning and Tohru didn't think she'd be able to make it through the ceremony without breaking down. Kyo was asked to give the eulogy and although there was really nothing funny about it, Tohru couldn't help but let a ghost of a smile creep onto her face.

Emotions were still whirling around inside of her and she was so confused. She wasn't sure whether to hate Yuki, mourn him, or miss him. Everything had happened so quickly that it almost didn't register in her brain sometimes.

At times, Tohru wondered if it was her fault that Yuki had died. After all, if she hadn't run out of the house then Yuki wouldn't have chased her. And if Yuki hadn't chased her, than he wouldn't have gotten hit by that car. But then there was the other side of the coin. If Yuki hadn't cheated on Tohru than she wouldn't have run away. Then Yuki wouldn't have gotten hit.

It was all so confusing.

Still, no matter whose fault it was or how it happened, Yuki was still dead and he would never be coming back. That was the fact that would never change. And that was what made Tohru sad. She realized in her heart that she still loved Yuki…so much. No matter what he had done to her or how he had treated her.

Tears flew to her eyes and she did everything she could to stop them. But her efforts were futile. They cascaded down her flushed face and fell to the floor harmlessly.

Suddenly, thunder boomed outside, sounding like a thousand drums being hit at once. Tohru cried even more when she remembered that the first time she and Yuki had really connected was at night, during a thunderstorm.

"Yuki…" she whispered, her voice so quiet it was almost nothing. There was another clap of thunder and Tohru pulled her blankets closer to her body.

Then there was a soft knock on her door. She lifted her head up, the tears still coming, and said, "Who is it?"

A soft and sweet voice responded, "Only your best friends." Tohru recognized Kagura's voice.

"Come in," she said still quietly but loud enough for Kagura to hear. The door opened and Tohru saw that Kagura, Kyo, and their two-year old daughter, Sana were standing there.

Sana bounced into the room like a little bunny rabbit; she took after Momiji a little bit. The little girl ran to Tohru and took the onigiri's hands into her own. "Hiya Auntie Tohru!" she exclaimed.

Tohru couldn't help but smile a bit. Something about the little girl just made everything a little bit brighter and made her want to smile…just like Yuki. Tohru tried to hide her tears from Sana but she failed. The little girl had very good eyesight, just like her father.

"Why are you crying Auntie Tohru?" Sana asked with a pout on her face. "Did you get hurt?"

Tohru wiped her eyes, "Uh, no Sana. I didn't get hurt."

Before the little girl could start firing off some more questions, Kagura picked her up and said in a motherly tone, "Now Sana, we came to say good night to Tohru. So say it and let's go. We have to go to be now."

"Okay mommy!" the little girl beamed. She jumped down from her mom's arms and hugged Tohru's legs. "Goodnight Auntie Tohru! See you in the morning!" Then she hopped out of the room with Kagura running after her.

"'Night Tohru," Kagura said before she disappeared through the doorway.

Kyo sighed. "Sorry about that," he said. "Sana doesn't really get it ya know?"

Tohru shook her head, more tears coming out. "Please don't worry about it." There was a moment of silence. Then Tohru said, "You know, Kagura seems to be handling this very well."

Kyo let out something between a snort and a chuckle. "Are you kidding?" he asked. "Kagura's been a wreck ever since she found out. She's just trying to look strong in front of Sana. Last night, after Sana went to bed, she cried herself to sleep."

Tohru gasped. _'So I'm not the only one,'_ she thought to herself. "What about you?" she asked Kyo quietly. "How are you doing with this?"

Kyo hesitated a moment before answering. Although he and Yuki had always hated each other in the past, they had become "friends" in the past few years. Well, at least the two didn't fight anymore. He saw Tohru's tears still coming out so he sat down on the bed beside her and put an arm around her shoulder protectively. "Remember what I said to you, all those years ago, when you got sick?" he asked.

Tohru gasped and another ghostly smile appeared on her face through the tears as she remembered how Kyo had cooked leek soup for her when she got a fever. "Yes, I do," she said. "And I'm still thankful to this day."

"I told you to go back to smiling with that…goofy looking grin you always have," he said. 'Cause when you're not happy…I'm not happy."

"You still think my smile is goofy?" Tohru asked (just imagine a sweat drop appearing on Kyo's head right now).

"What I mean is…Yuki wouldn't want you to be like this," he said in the calmest voice he could. "That damn rat would want you to be smiling and happy like you always are. And I know it's hard now, and it'll probably be damn hard for a while. But the important thing is that you move on…and, I don't know, honor Yuki's memory…I guess."

Tohru gasped, _'It's just like back then…when I was sick. Kyo…he's trying to cheer me up.'_ Just then, love and admiration for Kyo swelled up inside Tohru and for a moment, all of her sadness just slipped away. She leaned into his chest (now that the curse was broken) and said, "Kyo, that's what I needed to hear. Thank you so much."

Even though she couldn't see it, a smile found its place on Kyo's face at that moment. He kissed Tohru on the forehead and said, "Tomorrow…at the funeral, think of how I said Yuki would want you to be happy. That should get through it." He then bade Tohru 'goodnight' and left the onigiri in her room.

Tohru's last thoughts as she drifted off to sleep were, _'I wonder how Shigure is doing right now, all alone in his house.'_

--

The next day at the funeral, the mood was everything that Tohru expected it to be: somber and dreary. She, Kisa, and Kagura were all sobbing most of the time and she even thought she saw a few tears fall from Ayame's eyes.

The eulogy was the worst part for Tohru. As Kyo stood in front of everyone and talked about Yuki and his memory, Tohru felt her sadness and emptiness eating away at her. She tried to think of what Kyo said to her last night but it did virtually nothing. She had to face the fact that Yuki was gone but she would eventually move on.

After the burial, she was the last one to leave. Before leaving the cemetery, she looked up into the sky and saw a sliver of sunlight peeping through the clouds. She smiled a little and thought, _'I suppose that's mom and Yuki smiling down on me.'_

That night she returned back to Shigure's house and slept in her old bed. Thoughts of Yuki and the memories they shared obviously wormed their way into her dreams but for the first night since his death, she didn't fall asleep with tears in her eyes.

A/N All right, I know you're probably all wondering when the hell is the actual Shigure/Tohru part of the story going to come into play. Well…next chapter I promise but just a little bit. I don't want to make it too sudden; I mean Yuki did just die. But anyway, thank you to:

Otaku Mom

Emerald Guardian

loretta537

Verop

JennyKim319

for reviewing! They meant so much to me and I hope that I'll keep you all interested in this story enough for you guys to stick with it until the end.

Alrighty then, until next time! Ja ne!


	3. Chapter 3 Kind Words From the Snake

A/N Onward!!

The Onigiri and the Inu

Chapter 3- Kind Words From the Snake

"Ah Tohru, it's so good to have you home!" Shigure exclaimed the next morning at breakfast. "It was getting so lonely without you here."

"Yes, I'm sorry to keep you here all alone," Tohru apologized. "It's just, I…" tears came to her eyes.

"It's all right Tohru," Shigure said. "You don't have to keep going. I can only imagine the amount of pain you're still in." Tohru nodded and let her tears fall.

"Oh," she brought her hand up to her mouth, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be crying like this."

"Tohru, Tohru, Tohru," Shigure said in his calm tone. "You're being too hard on yourself. It's all right to cry. You're grieving, it's only natural." Comfortable silence enveloped them for a few moments. Then Shigure suddenly said, "If you don't mind me asking…why were you running from Yuki when I came home that day?"

Tohru shifted uncomfortably and the tears she was trying so hard to hold back came out full force. She broke down into uncontrollable sobs. "He was cheating on me!" she cried. "When I came home, I went upstairs and saw him having sex in our bed with another woman!" Shigure's eyes widened.

'_What the hell was Yuki thinking?!'_ he thought to himself. Suddenly, unexpected anger and hate welled up inside of him like white-hot fire. But it subsided as soon as it came when he looked back at Tohru. Taking her into his arms, he whispered soothingly into his ear. She buried her face in his shoulder.

"I wasn't thinking," she confessed. "I just lost it and ran…and look what happened because of me."

"Don't blame yourself," he said quietly. He pulled her out from his shoulder and held her at arm's length. "None of this is your fault so don't think for a second that you're the reason Yuki is dead. Look at me." Tohru kept her eyes downcast. "Look at me," he said a little firmer but still gently. She still didn't look up.

Shigure took her chin tenderly into his fingers and lifted her head up. Her turquoise eyes were sparkling with tears and her cheeks were red and puffy but to Shigure she was the most beautiful thing in the world. "I know it's painful now but I promise, the pain will subside with time."

"I'm just so confused," she said. "I still love him." That hit a nerve deep in Shigure and he abruptly let go of her shoulder and chin.

"What's this?" a voice said from the doorway. Both turned to find Ayame standing there with his usual dramatic look on his face. "Here Yuki's been gone only three days and the sneaky dog has already entranced the lovely princess in his steadfast gaze!"

"Ayame!" Shigure said cheerfully, although he seemed a little distracted. "What have we done to deserve a visit from you? You haven't come here to tell that you've cheated on me have you?" Shigure asked in his seductive.

"Of course not Shigure, how could I ever do that to you?" Ayame asked in a tone equally as seductive. "Actually," he said quickly and in his usual voice again, "I've come here to see Miss Tohru."

Tohru, who had been ignored up until this point, perked up and said, "Oh I'm sorry, where are my manners? How are you Ayame?"

"You truly amaze me Tohru," Ayame said, striking a dramatic pose. "You've just lost the love of your life and still as eloquent as ever! The news that I've brought today is that of utmost secrecy." He turned to Shigure and said, "I'm sorry Shigure, but would you mind terribly if I spoke with Tohru privately?"

"Of course not," he said. "Just don't do anything dirty while I'm gone." Then he retreated to his study and left the snake and the rice ball alone.

"Would you like me to make some tea?" Tohru asked politely, wiping the rest of her tears from her eyes.

"Oh no, it's quite all right," Ayame said with a wave of his hand. Then he whipped an envelope seemingly out of nowhere and handed it to Tohru.

"What is this?" she asked.

Ayame sighed and the entire mood in the room darkened. "I got a phone call from a woman yesterday. She told me her name was Mitsuki Urameshi. Apparently, she was the one who Yuki cheated on you with." Tohru gasped. "Naturally I was curious about her so I invited her over to my shop and the two of us had a nice, long chat."

"She told me that she worked with Yuki and that she had fallen in love with him. The two went on a few dates together and well you know what else they did. But she swore that she had no idea that Yuki had a girlfriend. I had a hard time believing her at first but when she broke down into tears I had feeling that she was telling the truth."

"So now I'm very skeptic about my younger brother. Although I love him no less from this, I feel very sorry for you and I would like to apologize for his actions."

"It's all right Ayame," Tohru said kindly. "You don't need to apologize for Yuki's actions. You had no control over them. I just feel sorry for Miss Urameshi. To be in love with someone and then to find out that that someone already is in a relationship, how painful that must be. I can't even imagine what that's like."

"Well yes I do feel sorry for her about that," Ayame said, "but that brings me to my next order of business here." He pointed to that envelope. It was signed by "Mitsuki Urameshi" and addressed to "Miss Tohru Honda". "I believe it's a letter from Miss Urameshi. She asked that only you see the contents of it."

Tohru looked down at the envelope and shakily opened it.

_Miss Tohru Honda,_

_I'm sure by now you know who I am. I know that no matter what I say, it won't help at all but I just want you to know that I am truly sorry for what I did. I honestly had no knowledge that Yuki was dating someone and if I had I never would have confessed my feelings to him. I truly loved Yuki but I would never have sabotaged your relationship with him if I had known._

_Miss Tohru I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me for what I've done but I understand if that day never comes. I only hope that you don't have bitter feelings towards me and that you will accept my apology._

_But there is something else you should know as well. I got sick yesterday morning so I went to the doctor's. It kills me to say this but I am pregnant with Yuki's child. I'm so sorry._

_I know I have no right to ask this but I was wondering if we could possibly meet sometime. I wish to apologize to you in person and answer any questions you might have for me. My address is on the envelope. I understand if you don't to have anything to do with me but please at least consider it. I am truly sorry._

_My deepest apologies,_

_Mitsuki Urameshi_

Tohru finished reading the letter and looked up at Ayame with a blank expression. "Miss Urameshi wants to meet with me," she said bluntly.

"I see," Ayame sighed. "Are you going to?"

"Yes," Tohru said, her eyes gaining emotion again. "I want to make sure she and her baby are doing okay."

Ayame gasped. "Did you say 'baby'?! You mean one who has been born already?"

Tohru shook her head. "No, the one she's carrying. It's Yuki's."

Ayame's eyes widened and disbelief ran through him. "She's carrying Yuki's child? But that's impossible…"

Shigure, who had been listening to the entire conversation, gasped and the anger that had come before welled up again only even stronger.

"Oh Tohru," Ayame said sadly. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea something like this would happen."

Tohru moved closer and then fell into Ayame's chest. "No…I'm the one who should be sorry, not you." Ayame then wrapped his arms around Tohru and pulled her even closer to him.

He let his tears fall. "My brother is gone…and he's left behind a child," he said, his voice broken. "I'm that baby's uncle."

Tohru looked up into the snake's eyes. She stroked the side of his face and said, "Yes you are. I think if Yuki were alive…he would want you to be apart of your nephew's life."

"Tohru…" Ayame breathed out. "No matter what my brother did to you, he loved you. And you don't need to bear this pain alone…because all of the Sohmas love you."

Tohru gasped, "…thank you. I needed that right now."

A/N Kinda confusing I know, sorry!


	4. Chapter 4 Light in Darkness

A/N Hey everyone! Wow, it's been a really long time since I've updated. And I want to take this opportunity to apologize. I was very busy around the holidays and in January with all of my tests so I never really got around to typing. So, I'm very sorry to all of my loyal reviewers out there!

….Shall we????

The Onigiri and the Inu

Chapter 4- Mitsuki Urameshi

Tohru stood outside the door of an apartment in Tokyo. She was meeting with Mitsuki Urameshi today. She could still remember how shocked Ayame was when she had called Mitsuki up.

Flashback- 

"Tohru are you sure that you want to meet with this woman?" Ayame asked. "Why bother paying any attention to her?"

"_Because she's not the one at fault," Tohru said kindly. "If what her letter says is true, then she had no idea that Yuki was seeing anyone. So it's not like she slept with Yuki to sabotage our relationship. And besides, I feel like I owe her an apology."_

"_Very well," Ayame said, although he did not sound satisfied. "When will you meet with her?"_

"_I suppose I'll shoot for this weekend."_

_End Flashback-_

And here she was, standing in front of Mitsuki's door, feeling more nervous than she could remember. Hesitantly, she knocked on the door and waited patiently for the knob to turn. After a few moments it did, and the door opened to reveal the woman Tohru had seen with Yuki.

"Uh…um…Miss Urameshi?" Tohru said quietly.

The woman nodded. "Yes. I take it you are Tohru Honda." Tohru nodded. Mitsuki tensed but said, "Please come in."

Tohru stepped inside her apartment. It was decorated with traditional Japanese décor. It reminded Tohru a lot of Shigure's house. Mitsuki led Tohru into the living room silently. A small coffee table with two mats was set up with tea already on the table. "Won't you please sit down?" Mitsuki asked.

"Thank you," Tohru said graciously.

The two sat and drank the tea in an awkward silence for a few moments. After it became too difficult to stand anymore, Mitsuki said, "I'm afraid I don't know where to start." Tohru kept her eyes downcast. "I suppose an apology would do best. I'm so sorry for everything," Mitsuki said, bowing low.

"Please don't apologize," Tohru said. "You're not at fault. Like you said, you didn't know that Yuki was seeing someone. Why should I blame you for what he did? He lied to us both."

A few tears came to Mitsuki's eyes. "I know that he lied to me but I still feel responsible. This is something that will haunt me for a long time."

"How is your baby?" Tohru asked suddenly.

Mitsuki gasped and then blushed. "Oh…well, I've been to the doctors and they said everything's fine."

"The time that I walked in on you two wasn't the first time, was it?" Tohru asked.

Mitsuki's blush deepened at this. "No, it wasn't," she said slowly. "We were dating for a while and the first time we had sex was here…about a month ago."

Tohru sighed. _'So he's been lying to me for over a month now,'_ she thought. "I see," she said quietly. "Yuki didn't say anything about his family while you were with him did he?" Tohru asked, a little unsure if that had been the right thing to ask.

Mitsuki shook her head. "No, he seemed to not want to mention his family. I just know that he has an older brother Ayame. I met with him a few days ago. Does he have any other siblings?"

"No, Ayame is his only brother," Tohru replied. She felt her voice becoming croaky and tears swelling in her eyes. She knew that the curse had been broken for this generation of Sohmas but she had no idea if the curse would affect the next generation. If that was true, than Mitsuki and Yuki's baby might end up being cursed. She wanted to tell Mitsuki about the curse but it wasn't her place to say. After all, she was never even under the curse.

"Are you all right Miss Honda?" Mitsuki asked. "You just turned pale all of a sudden."

Tohru gasped, "Oh yes I'm fine. I was just thinking."

Mitsuki smiled sadly. "Was it about Yuki? I know I probably have no right to feel this way but when I found out that Yuki had died, I broke down into sobs and I'm still crying myself to sleep. I truly loved him and I hope you understand that. I think about him all the time." Tears came to her eyes now.

Tohru and Mitsuki sat there in silent mourning for Yuki for a few moments. Both had been lied to and cheated on but neither could bring themselves to hate Yuki. They had both loved him so much. Eventually, Tohru broke the silence by saying how excited she was for Mitsuki and her baby, trying to lighten the mood. However, the situation was too serious and depressing to be made into anything happy or lighter.

Tohru then got up after another long, awkward silence. "I'm sorry but I have somewhere to be shortly," she said.

"Oh please, don't let me hold you up," Mitsuki replied.

As Tohru walked through the doorway she turned and said, "Thank you very much for meeting with me today. It really meant a lot."

"Oh, of course," Mitsuki said, sounding a little surprised.

"If you don't mind," Tohru started hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Would it be possible for your baby to be apart of the Sohmas' lives?" Tohru asked rather quickly. "I know you've only met Ayame so I'm sure you can't make any promises like that when you've never even met them. But your child is Yuki's also and I know that he'd want his child to know his family."

"I'm actually asked me that," Mitsuki said. "You see…I was going to ask you if my baby could be part of the Sohma family. And I was also wondering if I could meet the Sohmas one day."

Tohru, although a little taken aback, smiled. And it was one of her usual cheery smiles too, not the false sad ones she had been putting on lately. "Sure! I'm sure they'd all be glad to meet you. I'll call you soon okay?"

Mitsuki's eyes widened, completely shocked by Tohru's extreme attitude change all of a sudden. "Okay."

Tohru bid Mitsuki goodbye and then left the apartment complex. As she was walking down the street, she felt as though a small weight had been lifted off her chest. Oh sure, she still held that horrible feeling in her heart whenever she thought of Yuki. And of course she was still saddened by his death…but now it didn't seem overbearing anymore. It was like the light was finally breaking through the dark clouds that had been covering her heart ever since that terrible day.

A/N Well, there you go. I hope I was able to continue to satisfy.


End file.
